Life / More Polish supermarket griping...this time about customers [29]


It's a British thing too. I have had it happen to me a few times in Poland, particularly if the shop is quiet. However, this combined with number 3, makes a nightmare.

I was standing in a queue for the 10 items-or-less when a woman walked to the front of the queue, only to be reprimanded by the cashier and the others in the queue... "But I only have ONE item!" she said.

Another thing which annoys me is the Polish inability to make a straight queue combined with female contempt for men doing the shopping.

I was in one supermarket queue with my wife when she decided to go and fetch some extra items. The old women in the queue adopted the "blob" formation, where you can't tell where the queue actually is, and then did that amazing thing where they don't appear to move but somehow end up in-front of you. Eventually one old biddy sternly commented.. "PROSZE PANA!..." about ME queue jumping. I snapped and ranted on in my bad Polish about how I had been there first with my wife BUT, if they so insisted, they could have my place and I'd go to the back.

Then they started mumbling, a little shamefacedly, to each other about "Oh yes, there was a lady there, wasn't there?" and offering me a place in the queue.

The "up-your-arse" scenario happens a lot in post-offices, especially when the biddy rests against the serving counter, huffing and sighing.


YOU CAN'T BE POLISH!

Life / Haunted Homes in Poland [173]

This summer moy Polish colleague and I were working in a summer school in Shrewsbury, England.

My friend bought a book about local ghosts. Being a local lad, I'd heard of several of them and showed him the old pubs and parts of town where these ghosts were/are supposed to hang out.

One particular pub has a cursed picture. Allegedly, some people who stayed in the room where this picture is committed suicide, others have had bad luck. I decided to ask the landlord if I could see the picture and he allowed me to. It was strange...

No apparent effects from seeing it... yet. My buddy said there was no way he was going to see it.

Had fun taking the kids (students) around some of these places and scaring them with the stories.

Life / Haunted Homes in Poland [173]

.


The upstairs room has a cupboard built into one corner and the picture is inside the door.

The book we bought said it was a picture of either the devil or an old testament prophet but it is obviously a picture of Poseidon. Interestingly, the pub is called The Nag's Head (Nag is an old word for a horse) and Poseidon is god of horses.

Supposedly, and the landlord says it is true, any attempt to paint over the picture is useless as it just comes back through the paint.


Haha, I like it.

Now the pub doesn't use that room for guests. I asked if it was because of the curse. The landlord said partly that and just because the room has no heating and is pretty cold. He uses it as a store room now.

The pub itself is pretty old (15th C wooden framework outside) and serves some pretty decent ale.

Life / Polish Residency - Zameldowanie to be abolished? [49]

I have had some rough experiences with id cards etc. I'm British and have my own one-man firm. However, GE Moneybank once refused me credit because my id doesn't have a PESEL on it. I have a PESEL, of course, issued by the local ratusz... it just isn't on my card. The local immigration office told me that there was no such card bt GE Money *ankers told me they wouldn't give me any credit without one. Guess who I have never used in 7 years.

A coupke of years ago my wife and I bought a new car. I wanted to buy it on the firm but the dealer said they couldn't give me 5 year credit because my card was due to expire in 3 years. I said I just needed to renew it... but they said "How do we know you won't just leave the country?" (yes, that card is what keeps you here!).

My wife commented, "Give me the credit and I'll leave tomorrow!"

Life / Haunted Homes in Poland [173]


According to the discover shropshire site:

The street space, now given the single name Wyle Cop, earlier nomenclature distinguished between the top of the hill (Wyle Cop, Super Wilam), the gradient (the Wyle), and the floodplain (Under the Wyle/sub Wila). Hobbs recorded the possibility that the name derives from the Welsh hwylfa-a road leading up a hillside, and the Welsh coppa-top, or head.

I think there's also the germanic term Kop for a hill (like "spion kop", the spy hill which the Liverpool stand is named after)

There are lots of black and white buildings there: (see second row of pictures)
yourlocalweb.co.uk/shropshire/frankwell/pictures

historicalhostelries.co.uk/000013.html

Life / More Polish supermarket griping...this time about customers [29]


Ah, maybe it's an age thing. I've had it done several times. I do it too (maybe I've been infected by Americans). Probably cos I'm from an age before the 10 items tills existed.

It might be that the supermarkets I was in were just smaller and quieter.

UK, Ireland / I married a Pole, we live in the UK - eligibility for Polish citizenship? [15]


If you are UK/EU citizen you don't need a permit to reside in Poland.

Life / More Polish supermarket griping...this time about customers [29]


WHAT???? S/he must have worked abroad for a while.

Usually someone queue jumps with a "Oh, I just have to ask something!" and they stop serving the rightful person to deal with the jumper.

Ask the assistant if they'd like to come and work in Olsztyn.

Life / Deadly Roads - "Are polish roads really THAT dangerous?" [139]


Sorry, Seanus, have to disagree mega-ly here. I could count upon the fingers of each hand (if I wasn't gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles) that the Audi driver decides that 80-90 on a narrow forest road with double white lines is too slow and decides to overtake 3 or 4 cars at a go on a rise/blind bend etc... in the face of oncoming traffic.

The other thing is the idea that when a driver sees a 5cm space they seem to think they can get their whole car into instead of waiting for the other driver to move.

If the Warsaw-Gdansk road at a weekend doesn't actually kill you it'll shorten your life in stress years. I was overtaking two articulated trucks (on a dual carriageway section) when a big VW SUV came haring up and tailgated so close that I couldn't see his headlights, just the glare through my back window. He pushed me upto 110 and I decided he could wait. He begged to differ and overtook me between the two trucks! If it isn't stuff like that it's the "My car is more expensive than yours, get out of my way when I'm driving on your side of the road!"

I have a theory that James Bond doesn't have white hair because of the actor... it's a plot line that he was sent to drive in Poland and his hair turned white.

I see the same stupid manouvers at the same well-labelled black spots. Young, old... it doesn't matter. Here in Warmia Mazury we have the added attraction of tree lined roads. People say if there were less trees there'd be less crashes. CR@P! There would be as many, if not more. The only difference is that the car would be upside down in a ditch rather than wrapped around a tree.

Life / Deadly Roads - "Are polish roads really THAT dangerous?" [139]


They are to make sure the insurance pays up if you are killed on one.

Life / Haunted Homes in Poland [173]


Aw, spoilsport... and I was looking forward to dying!

The guy who wrote the book goes on about how evil it is (and incorrectly desscribes it) and says how one journalist nearly broke her ankle leaving the room. He doesn't mention that the stairs are really very steep and narrow.

Life / Haunted Homes in Poland [173]

Does God believe in atheists?

Life / Deadly Roads - "Are polish roads really THAT dangerous?" [139]

I've actually pulled out to stop someone overtaking when I could see the oncoming which he couldn't.

Life / Where is a good place to find people in Poland who don't speak English? [13]

The immigration office in Olsztyn.

Villages, old people's homes etc., Police stations, railway ticket kiosks, Mazury, where they seem to speak german to you even when it is obvious you aren't.

But actually, as others have said, almost anywhere. There is that problem that as soon as some people realise you are foreign and speak English, they'll suddenly think they know some and want to practise.

I've actually trained in a few sports/martial arts clubs where nobody (or very few) folk spoke English, so I had to learn specific vocab pretty quick. Either that or speak in Korean!

History / RUSSIAN TV ACCUSES POLAND OF BEING HITLER ALLY [30]

Considering Poland and Germany were the two countries most likely to suffer a conflict with USSR, it is not surprising such a pact was signed.

Russia now claims that the Mol/Rib pact was just a way of buying time to allow themselves to build up forces to resist the nazi onslaught... funny how they can say that but accuse Poland of doing something else.

Russia also threatens to break diplomatic ties with countries which continue to say they were "occupied" rather than "liberated".

I wonder how long they will continue to "liberate" Koenigsberg/Krolewiec.

Life / Haunted Homes in Poland [173]

I protest... that last post was an answer to the topic. I regularly ask my studetns in Poland about ghost stories and they don't know anything

Life / Haunted Homes in Poland [173]

Like half the thread now.

There'd probably be loads of ghosts in Poland but the mods delete them.

News / What needs to happen in the world so that Poland and Russia form alliance? [297]


The same thing for Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey to form an alliance.


That'd miff Germany (let's do it)!

UK, Ireland / What are Polish Peoples Views of a Re-United Ireland [80]


I remember being intrigued by what the unionist politician david Ervine once said about his idea of Loyalists/Unionists having to reassess themselves oncelebrating their "Britishness" rather than simply being anti-Irish. IT suggests that some unionists might see the inevitable and realise they need to redefine themselves. I suppose if they became an "ethnic moniroity" in the republic then they could milk EU for some money ;D

I often wonder if the idea of a borderless Europe will eventually lead to the idea of north/south borders in Ireland being an anachronism (if they aren't already).

News / What needs to happen in the world so that Poland and Russia form alliance? [297]


I think you'll find many Poles, due to historical relationships with Russia, actually view Russia in a similar way to how many Balkan Slavs view the Turks... occupation, forced religious conversation, cultural suppression, subjegation etc.

UK, Ireland / What are Polish Peoples Views of a Re-United Ireland [80]

Personally, I'd prefer it if Polish people enquired about Sinn Fein and learned about what it is and it's aims from legitimate activists, rather than just learn a few rebel songs from a football fan and start waving dodgy flags (as happened in belfast a few months back) without knowing what it all stands for.

Life / The Polish Theatre [9]

Kantor was amazing. His work with Cricotis just incredible. Even tho' I don't understand what is going on, or get the text, the rhythms and images etc are just so stimulating.

Here's a clip of Dead Class. For those who don't know, he's the old guy telling people what to do. he appeared in his own shows as the director.

youtube.com/watch?v=ldgYYqpPv1g

I've seen films of work by Grotowski too. The trouble with Grot is that there's such an aura of 'guru around him that sometimes it gets too much.

I was asked about texts in English. I believe there are a number of Witkacy plays in English, as well as Wyspianski (Wesele) and Mickiewicz (Dziady... Forefather's Eve), Slowacki etc.

UK, Ireland / What are Polish Peoples Views of a Re-United Ireland [80]


There were anti-catholic laws passed in 17th Century. Being protestant was then linked to power holding. It became advantageous to be protestant and so linked to the crown.

Ironically, prior to this many of the leaders of uprisings, like Wolfetone and H.J. MacCracken were protestants.

It's important to note that even today not all republicans are catholic and not all loyalists are prods.

Life / The Polish Theatre [9]


Oh, for sure. The first time I saw dead Class I thought, what the hell is this garbage...?

I think Grots work is important from an actors point of view, for the discipline and dedication. The trouble is later it gets too unreachable. This makes people think it's oh-so-mystic. Who was the actor, by the way?

Personally, I think a lot of non-mainstream Polish theatre suffers from being too reliant on Grot and kantor. I've seen a number of shows using similar techniques, ugly scenes, 'grotesque' acting styles etc which seem to be the norm.

a little tedious.

Likewise, I saw a production of Non-Divine Comedy, a classic of Polish romanticism. It was ludicrous. I told a friend abot it and she asked, "Was it like when the English try to do radical Shakespeare". It was.

News / What needs to happen in the world so that Poland and Russia form alliance? [297]


The Slavs then lost little time on forcing others... like asking the Teutons to go and Christianise the Prussians and Lithuanians (the last pagan people in Europe).


Hypothetically (at least in the eyes of some right-wing Westerners) much of the Slavonic world DID abandon christianity in 20th Century because almost all the Slavonic countries were communist/socialist.

Of course we know it wasn't wholly the case, but...

UK, Ireland / What are Polish Peoples Views of a Re-United Ireland [80]


A good point, maybe that's why they made him king.

He was also the person whose Daddy, (James 1st and 6th) invented the concept of Great Britain

News / Words of thanks towards the 'Federation of Expellees' by Angela Merkel [40]

Did you know that both Merkel and Putin do Judo?

maybe they should meet on the mat and if Merkel wins Putin could giver Kaliningrad/Koenigsberg back.

The expellees could all go there.

News / What needs to happen in the world so that Poland and Russia form alliance? [297]


The main reason the German Order (Teutons) were in Prussia was because a Polish king invited them to come and have a crusade against the Prussians and Lithuanians. It gave them a foothold and they took full advantage and Germanicised the native Prussians.

Slavs, like many other races, have a history of being given Christianity and then attempting to use it to dominate others.

An American friend of mine once made a history professor in Skopje choke by asking, "Why are Kiril and Metodij seen as heroes?"

The teacher replied, "Because they were two Macedonians who brought Christianity to the Slavs"

"And who sent them?"

"They were sent from Constantinople"

"Oh, so two Slavs sell out their own people to the Greeks... and you make them heroes."

Professor (whispers) "OK, but I CAN'T say THAT!"


Because as a Catholic country Poland has always seen herself aligned to the West. The west also icludes non-Germanic France (with whom Poland historically has a long relationship- think Napoleon). Also, you seem to completely disregard the historical relationship between Russia and Poland in the last 200 years. It wasn't just a matter of a few mistakes in government.

Just as in the Balkans, many Slavs cannot say the word "Ottoman" without adding "500 years of Ottoman slavery", many Poles cannot say "Russia" without thinking of 50 years of Soviet oppression and murder (as well as whatever came before).

UK, Ireland / What are Polish Peoples Views of a Re-United Ireland [80]

Sorry Shelley, you've confused me...


but then...


Not trying to be confrontational here but are you saying YOU consider "British" to include NI, whereas others don't?